Retro Birthday Party - 8 Great Tips For A Baby Boomer's Blast From the Past Birthday Bash

If you're planning a birthday party for a baby boomer, who may be getting older in years, but certainly not in attitude, then it's time to celebrate his or her youthful spirit.  This person is not a candidate for an over the hill theme.  Here are eight tips to throw a great back-to-your youth celebration for his or her milestone bash.

1. Get your guests in the mood to travel back in time with fantastic party invites.  You could choose  photo birthday invitations that include pictures of the guest of honor in his or her youth.  Another option is to select invites that feature fun facts from the year he or she was born.  Finally, you could just pick up a few packs of kid's party invitations to make it clear that this event is for someone who is forever young.

2. Create a retro atmosphere.  Make a list of some of the "cool" symbols from the era of the guest of honor's younger years.  Things like peace signs, tie-dye, flower-power, hippies, Woodstock, VW bus, smiley faces and lava lamps are good representations of the 60's and early 70's.  Disco balls and platform shoes can be used for the 70's, but only if the celebrant was a fan.  Borrow items from friend's attics, search ebay or visit a party supply store to start acquiring your decorations.

3. Picture the past. Use photos from every stage of the guest of honor's life to add to the decor. You can hang poster-size prints or collages made from different pictures.  Group framed old photographs for nostalgic centerpieces.  You could even make individual placemats by laminating photos onto 11 x 17 inch poster board.

4. Bring back the taste of yesterday.  Choose a menu with comfort foods from the birthday boy or girl's youth.  What was their favorite dinner when they were growing up?  Check for "foil TV dinner trays" on your favorite search engine, for a unique way of serving the meals.  Another nice touch is to provide bowls on each table filled with retro candy, They are also available online from companies that specialize in nostalgic sweets.

5. Play those old familiar songs. Stir up old memories of good times with classic hits from the guest of honor's teens and twenties.  You can find CDs with compilations of the top tunes from any given year.   Your local library may even have them available to borrow.

6. Provide games for the young at heart.  Play "name that tune" with songs from the era and watch your guests come alive. Answering trivia questions is always fun.  You could challenge people with a list of quotes from the popular movies and tv shows of the day and see who can identify the most sources.  If you dig up some old toys, like toss-across, twister and hungry-hungry hippo, you can have tournaments.  And of course, give all the winners a prize like a tie-dyed t-shirt.

7. Favors are a nice, old-fashioned way to say, "thanks for sharing the fun".  Keep with the retro theme when you give out these little tokens of appreciation to your guests   These mementos can be anything from inexpensive peace-sign keyrings to smiley-face pencils. Or if you're looking for more of a keepsake, choose something personalized with the guest of honor's photo and message, like notebooks, bookmarks, magnets or candy bars.  There's also a wide variety of favors available that are imprinted with statistics and events from the year of the celebrant's birth.

8. Thanks for the memories.  Let the guest of honor know how special he or she is to everyone at the party.  Pass out slips of paper and ask everyone to write a great memory they have of the birthday boy or girl.  Collect the pieces of paper and stuff them into a memory jar to be presented to the celebrant.

So, celebrate that baby-boomer's milestone with a retro birthday party.  Make it a blast from the past that brings back the good old days in style. Just follow these tips and it's guaranteed to be a fun and memorable occasion for all.

About the Author

Linda Kling, as the owner of www.photo-party-favors.com, has offered ideas to people planning birthday parties and other celebrations since 1992. She recommends these Year You Were Born photo birthday favors, featuring your photo and fun facts from the year of your birth and these photo birthday invitations.

Class Reunion Favors - How to Choose the Best Souvenirs for Your High School Reunion Party

Planning a class reunion is a big job. There are so many details to work out from tracking down classmates to figuring out the menu for the reunion party weekend.  You might not even have thought about reunion favors yet.  But they're an important little finishing touch to your festivities.  Class reunion favors serve as souvenirs of the wonderful time shared with old high school friends.  Here are some ideas to help inspire you to find just the right reunion favors for your old class.

Be Practical

Class reunion favors are meant to remind your guests of rekindled friendships.  So, you don't want to get anything that is likely to end up in the trash or stored in a box in the attic.  Look for items that will be used and appreciated.  Anything from an inexpensive, imprinted pen in your school colors to a more pricey tote bag with your school logo fall into this category. 

And don't rule out reunion magnets.  They may not be as functional as an imprinted bottle opener, but everyone will put them on their refrigerators.  It would be a memento they would see everyday.

Think nostalgia

The best class reunion favors will inspire spirited discussion at the party about the good old days.  How about retro candy from your youth?  You can find online companies that specialize in nostalgic candy.  If you want to splurge, you could place the old fashioned sweets in an imprinted mug or glass.

If you went to high school in the 60's or 70's, then think tie-dye and day-glo items (with optional peace signs) imprinted with your reunion message.  For the 50's you could go with do-wop, fuzzy dice and juke-box theme.  Look for imprintables like t-shirts, caps and bandanas with these symbols.

How about a blast from the past with year you graduated class reunion bookmarks?  These inexpensive bookmarks are in your school colors, contain your reunion personalization, and are filled with prices, top songs, TV shows, news and events from your graduating year.  They can be real conversation starters.  Besides bookmarks, you can find the same information printed on certificates and magnets.  You can even find custom year you graduated pocket notebooks, for a unique spin on these reunion favors.

Another idea is a CD with music from the year you graduated.  Some companies provide the songs for that year.  With others, you have to first burn the songs you want onto a master CD and they'll reproduce it.  Either way, they will design and print a label with the song list and a cover with your reunion information.

Make it sweet

Besides the retro candy, there are other options for a sweet reunion favor.  You can order custom M&M's imprinted with the "Class of __".   Or you could buy or make your own candy bar wrappers personalized with your reunion message.   For something really unusual, check out online businesses that will print your school mascot directly onto the surface of chocolate or cookies with safe, food-dye based inks. 

How about mint tins customized for your graduating glass?  You can even get these little hinged mint tins filled with gourmet chocolates for a surprising treat for your classmates. After the candy is gone, the personalized tins can be used for holding or storing other little things for a lasting souvenir.

Imagine the possibilities

Just about anything can be personalized.  Your class reunion giveaways could be imprinted staplers, tape measures, pocket mirrors, beach balls, pencils, mugs, Tshirts, mousepads, golf tees or keychains to name just a few examples. You could scan old high school yearbook photos and arrange for a business to make custom calendars for your guests. 

So, don't limit your ideas.  There are so many unique favors available. Do a little browsing online and you're sure to find just the right class reunion favors that your classmates will treasure.

About the Author

Linda Kling is the owner of Photo Party Favors specializing in photo favors and invitations for over 17 years and she recommends these class reunion favors.